Texas Rangers Claim RHP Jimmy Herget, DFA Jeffrey Springs

The Texas Rangers have announced their second pitching acquisition on Monday claiming Jimmy Herget off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.

Shortly after announcing that right-hander Nick Goody had accepted his move to the Texas Rangers after being claimed off waivers from Cleveland, the Rangers announced that the club had acquired right-hander Jimmy Herget off waivers from the Reds. To make room on the 40-man roster for Herget, Texas opted to designate Jeffrey Springs for assignment, a surprising move as well.

Herget, 26, got limited action in the big leagues last season making just five appearances for the Reds and throwing 6.1 innings. Herget, a flame thrower with a fastball that can reach the upper-90’s, posted a 4.76 ERA and a 8.74 FIP in his short stint with Cincy last season.

That very small sample size aside, Herget has been considered one of the better relievers in the Reds system for a few years now and finished 2019 as the #25 prospect in the organization after starting out the year at #18 according to MLB Prospect Watch.

Herget is likely ready for a legitimate big league look having been fairly dominant at the Triple-A level last season. He threw 58.2 innings in relief for the Reds affiliate posting a 2.91 ERA and limiting opposing hitters to a .193 batting average. His 10.43 K/9 rate is promising but it seems he struggled a bit with control posting a 5.52 BB/9 rate.

Side Effects of the Deal

With the Rangers 40-man roster being full after Nick Goody accepted his assignment, Texas had to open up space for Jimmy Herget and that came at the expense of Jeffrey Springs who was DFA’d in a corresponding move. Springs, a lefty reliever, came into the picture for the club and fans in 2018 when he was fairly effective in his albeit short stint in the big leagues. Springs posted a 3.38 ERA in 2018, striking out 31 in 32 innings. However, 2019 was a struggle for the 27-year old throwing 32.1 innings with far less success. His walk rate nearly doubled jumping from 3.9 per nine innings in 2018 to 6.4 per nine in 2019. That was the catalyst of a lot of his struggles last year which no doubt factored into this roster move.

It is a bit surprising as Texas does not have a ton of left-handed options in the bullpen but we could see a couple of their left-handed starting pitching prospects work in relief next season to help create some balance.

The Texas Rangers have announced their second pitching acquisition on Monday claiming Jimmy Herget off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.

Side Effects of the Deal

Schedule